At least eight people were killed in a jeep accident that occurred in Palpa on Tuesday evening. The ill-fated jeep with registration number Lu 1 Ja 2371 was on its way to Chidish from Dumre via the Siddharth Highway when the accident occurred. This is just one of several cases of accidents that occur on a routine basis in Nepal. In fact, it is a somber reality that road accidents have become a common occurrence in our country, often with terrible loss of lives as well as crippling injuries. The reasons for most of the accidents are attributed to mechanical failures compounded by the poor condition of roads causing the vehicles to swerve off the road. The ever-increasing number of accidents serves as a distressing reminder of the urgent need for proactive measures to address this issue. While it is important for riders to take necessary precautions, it is equally crucial for the concerned government authorities to take concrete actions to minimize the rate of accidents. It is high time for the formulation of new legislation that mandates formation of specialized bodies to oversee road safety standards.
When will it end?
The statistics that are presented by Nepal Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) 2022 acutely depict how severe this situation is. According to the survey, on average 14 people die of road accidents per every hundred thousand people in Nepal each year– this gives around four thousand deaths. In addition, the statistics of Nepal Police show that in just one fiscal year of 2022/23 there were 5960 road accidents with a large number of people dying from them. Many more accidents go unreported. Poor state of the road safety standards makes it worse. According to reports, only a fraction of the total roads in Nepal have appropriate road safety standards. This implies that most of the roads are below standard in terms of security and therefore a death trap for all road users. In this space, we earlier urged the government to focus on drafting and implementation of a comprehensive road safety act to address this crisis. We repeat this again. The new legislation should establish a centralized organization such as the Road Safety Council that would be responsible for monitoring and supervising everyday road safety issues. As of now, the matter related to road safety is divided among quite a number of agencies creating inefficiency and lack of coordinated action. Such a body should be endowed with the power to enact and enforce laws on road safety, simplifying the adjudicatory process and guaranteeing appropriateness of road conditions.
Furthermore, the government needs to address improvements of safety standards for both new and old roads. It is thus advisable to make regular inspections and assessments in order to identify as well address the safety shortfalls. The roads built by local bodies must also meet the engineering standards for road construction. Currently, only the roads constructed under supervision of the Department for Roads meet these standards. In order for road users to be safe, all roads irrespective of the agency that built them should adhere to required engineering standards. Furthermore, it is also important that drivers and pedestrians are made aware of the need for observing traffic rules. Major causes of accidents are overspeeding, traffic rules violation and reckless overtaking. The government must spend money on elaborate road safety advertisements to inform people of the need for responsible behavior when driving and using roads. Balancing lane discipline and speed will help prevent many accidents. This educational initiative should be reinforced by harsh implementation of traffic laws to deter offenders. The rising number of those who have died on our roads should be a continual reminder for the urgency and importance associated with this issue.
